Monterey Jack cheese

Let’s Talk Nachos

May 8, 2013 | 21 Comments

Doesn’t it seem like there’s an expert on everything these days?

Surfing experts!
Snake handling experts!
Couponing experts!
I even tuned into the TODAY Show the other day and found Natalie and Savannah being schooled by a dishwasher loading expert! (At which point I questioned, for the 121st time, why I watch The Today Show!)

I have never climbed on a surf board, I generally try to avoid snakes and coupon clipping, and, as A. will most certainly confirm, I am far from an expert when it comes to loading my poor, put-upon dishwasher.

I am, however, a confirmed Nacho Expert, both in terms of preparation and consumption.

And today, I’d like to share some of my most expert tips with you.

Expert! Get ready!

Filed Under: Snacks & Starters Tagged With: avocado, cheddar cheese, guasacaca, jalapeño, Monterey Jack cheese, nachos, pickled chiles, recipe, roasted chickpeas, salsa, savory, tortilla chips

In Skillets: Cheesy Sage Baked Rice

April 22, 2013 | 17 Comments

Well look-uh here, finishing up Skillet Week right on Earth Day… it’s almost like someone, you know, got their planning on!

I do find my skillet to be the most environmentally responsible tool that I have in my kitchen, mainly because it will last my lifetime and hopefully that of my cookin’ babies.

It also takes nothing more than natural oil and a clean, reusable cloth to maintain, and doesn’t emit anything other than delicious foodstuffs, unlike the toxic fumes that can be a byproduct of cooking with certain types of nonstick pots and pans.

So what better way to celebrate Earth Day tonight than by preparing a succulent cheese and rice casserole in your eco-friendly cast iron skillet? (Answer: there isn’t one.)

Filed Under: Side Dishes Tagged With: baked rice casserole, cheddar cheese, garlic, green onion, Monterey Jack cheese, mozzarella cheese, Oaxaca cheese, recipe, sage, savory

In Skillets: Spring Pea Quesadillas

April 18, 2013 | 13 Comments

Let’s face it: quesadillas are all kinds of messy. Which is why they’re the perfect candidate for skillet containment.

You could bake your quesadillas on a baking sheet. Sure, you could do that.

But let’s just sit for a spell, talking of skillets, and then see if you want to bust out that baking sheet. We’ll see…

Filed Under: Main Courses Tagged With: English peas, garlic, green onions, leek, Monterey Jack cheese, Oaxaca cheese, quesadillas, recipe, savory, shelled sweet peas

Green Chile Corn Pudding

January 3, 2013 | 29 Comments

2013, I love you already!

You’re shiny and new with a lovely emerald glow.

You’re 365 whole days long, each of which will apparently involve less crêpes and more chicharrónes.

And I guess we’ll be working those pork pounds off with newfangled fitness apps, and lots and lots of juicing.

All while wearing stripes and leather. As long as it’s not striped leather…

But for now, 2013, you’re awfully chilly, even here in Arizona. And your chilliness is making me just a little cranky, which isn’t working for A. and, you know, everyone else around me.

So I’m preparing a big, fat batch of spicy corn pudding, fresh from the oven and straight to my tummy.

This pudding is rich, creamy, corny and deliciously comforting – crankiness, be gone!

And now I can move on to more important matters, like shopping for some emerald green leather clothing and juicing my face off. Like I said, 2013, I love you already!

Green Chile Corn Pudding

Print This Recipe!

recipe adapted from MarthaStewart.com

Chef’s Note: Although I am listing the original recipe below, I made a couple of significant adjustments. First, the recipe calls for two cups of grated Monterey Jack cheese and I was more than able to get along with just one (mixing approximately half into the batter and sprinkling the other half on top). Second, you absolutely positively don’t need 1/2 stick of butter and 10 minutes to melt it in a preheated oven. I used just two tablespoons and melted it in just a few minutes in my oven before pouring the batter on top. Finally, this pudding will almost certainly overflow when baked in an 8″ x 8″ baking pan – do yourself a favor and be sure to place your pan on a rimmed baking sheet while it is baking.

24 ounces frozen corn kernels (4 cups), thawed and drained, at room temperature, divided
1 tsp. salt, coarsely ground
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 can (14 ounces) Hatch green chiles, diced
3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 c. Monterey Jack cheese, grated, divided
5 large eggs, at room temperature
2/3 c. heavy cream
1/2 stick unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 350°.

Puree 3 cups corn in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and transfer to a large bowl. Stir in remaining cup corn, salt, scallions, chiles, flour, and approximately one third cup of cheese.

In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs and cream just until combined. Stir into corn mixture.

Place butter in an 8″ x 8″ baking dish and place in oven until butter is melted, about 10 minutes. Pour batter into hot baking dish, and sprinkle top with remaining cheese. Place a baking sheet on lower rack to catch any drips, and bake until puffed and bubbling and cheese is golden brown, approximately 45 to 55 minutes. Let cool 30 minutes before serving.

YIELD: approximately 8 servings

Filed Under: Curds, Custards & Puddings Tagged With: corn, egg, flour, green chile, heavy cream, Monterey Jack cheese, pudding, recipe, savory, scallion

Breakfast Chilaquiles Casserole

December 10, 2012 | 17 Comments

sneak·y de·li·cious [snee-kee dih-lish-uh s] adjective, the phenomenon of a dish, despite all outward appearances, lack of effort involved in preparation, and absence of ultra-sophisticated ingredients, being ridiculously, ridiculously delicious.

Related forms
slight·ly sneak·y de·li·cious, adjective.
mod·er·ate·ly sneak·y de·li·cious, adjective.
su·per bon·kers tur·bo sneak·y de·li·cious, adjective.

Let me tell you a few things about this breakfast casserole:

1. This breakfast casserole is an immensely satisfying way to begin your day. Each bite is crunchy, warm and extremely flavorful.

2. This breakfast casserole is infinitely adaptable. You could include meat, you could add eggs, you could switch up the beans or throw on some green chiles. You are the master of your very own destiny when it comes to this breakfast casserole, so go ahead and make it sing as only you can do.

3. This breakfast casserole is very easy to prepare. I like to serve it around the holidays because you can even assemble it the night before, then bake and serve to your holiday morning crowd. Hosting in the a.m. doesn’t get much simpler than that.

4. This breakfast casserole is super bonkers turbo sneaky delicious.

Breakfast Chilaquiles Casserole

recipe adapted from El Charro Café Cookbook

For the casserole:
corn tortilla chips (I used approximately 15 ounces of chips to prepare a large casserole)
1 1/2 c. black beans, cooked
1 c. corn, preferably fresh kernels
1 c. green onion, chopped
1/2 c. green chiles, diced
1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
1 c. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

For the enchilada sauce:
12 dried red chiles, stemmed (I used New Mexico red chile pods here)
2 quarts boiling water
salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare the sauce, bring the water to a boil in a large heavy-bottomed pot. Add the dried, stemmed chiles and cook for approximately 15 minutes or until the chile flesh is rehydrated and pliable. Remove and drain the cooked chiles, being sure to retain the cooking liquid. Remove the chiles to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process to a paste. Gradually add the cooking liquid into the paste, processing into a smooth, homogeneous sauce after each addition. Season with salt to taste. Note that the original recipe for this sauce calls for a cooked rue made from 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil and 3 tablespoons of flour to be added to the sauce at this point, but I opted to omit this step. I simply added the liquid from the boiling phase into the paste in half cup increments until the sauce had reached the desired consistency.

To prepare the casserole, layer the ingredients in a 9″ x 13″ baking dish in the following order: corn chips, beans, corn kernels, sauce, green onions, green chiles and cheese, spreading each layer out as evenly as possible. Bake for 20 minutes and serve immediately.

YIELD: approximately 6 servings

Filed Under: Breakfast Tagged With: black bean, casserole, cheddar cheese, chilaquiles, corn, green onion, Monterey Jack cheese, recipe, savory, tortilla chips

Weeknight Chorizo Tortilla Pie

August 20, 2012 | 14 Comments

Have I mentioned that I love magazines? I do. Quite a bit. My coffee table looks like something out of a doctor’s office. Minus the stethoscopes, shots, and 63 hour wait.

And pretty much any topic will do: fashion, gossip, travel, what have you.

But the cooking magazines? Oh, the cooking magazines. I read cooking magazines all day, into the night, and then some more the next day.

These are two of my favorite cooking magazines.

Why? Because instead of just doing recipes and commentary from celebrity chefs, they actually get down and dirty with a fair amount of culinary technique and analysis. Things like the proper way to prepare a Bundt pan, or a review of the best tomato pastes. Really great stuff.

Filed Under: Main Courses Tagged With: chorizo, garlic, jalapeño, milk, Monterey Jack cheese, onion, pie, pork, recipe, sausage, savory, tortilla

Hatch Chile Rice Casserole

August 17, 2012 | 23 Comments

It’s Friday! It’s Friday!

Let’s talk current obsessions!

First I’ll tell you mine! Then you tell me yours! And at some point I’ll stop using exclamation marks!

Promise!

Filed Under: Side Dishes Tagged With: casserole, cumin, Hatch chile, Monterey Jack cheese, mozzarella cheese, Oaxaca cheese, recipe, red onion, rice, savory

Enchiladas Suizas

April 11, 2012 | 12 Comments

So A. and I got in a heated Top 5 discussion last night. We take our Top 5s seriously.

You know, Top 5 favorite beverages, Top 5 vacation destinations, Top 5 concerts you’d like to see.

Important things like that.

Last night’s Top 5 du jour was Top 5 favorite smells. Innocent enough, right? Um, no.

Things went south when the conversation devolved into Top 5 least favorite smells. I’m still not sure why we opted to travel down that road, but we did.

I shared my list containing all the usual suspects: the smell of new plastic dodgeballs, burnt toast smell, the Jersey Turnpike on a hot summer day (no need to send Jersey hate mail -I was born in New Jersey- I tease because I love).